Scientists say they have discovered how cells protect themselves against cancer. They uncovered how cells switch a gene called p53, which can block the development of tumours, on and off.
The study, published in Genes And Development, was carried out by teams of scientists in Singapore and the University of Dundee.
The p53 gene, first discovered 30 years ago, plays a vital role in keeping the body healthy by ordering damaged cells to commit suicide, or by stopping them dividing while key repair work is carried out.
In half of all cancers the gene is either damaged or inactive, giving damaged cells a free rein to keep dividing and form more cancer cells.
In this study, the scientists used a genetic trick to make zebrafish turn green when the p53 gene was switched on to explore the way it was regulated. They found that the p53 gene makes not only the well-established p53 protein, but also an alternative “control switch” variation of the p53 protein – known as an isoform.
Normally zebrafish, which carry the same p53 gene as humans, can survive low doses of radiation, which causes damage to the DNA, because the gene steps in to repair that damage. But no such repair took place in zebrafish without the isoform switch, and they died after radiation exposure.
Source: BBC News, 1 February 2009
Chapter: Cancer :: 13 March 2009
